THE NATIONAL Consumer Agency is suffering from a “major shortfall” in staffing and needs extra staff to carry out its work effectively, according to its annual report.
NCA chairman Stephen Costello says the redeployment of staff from other parts of the public service is a priority.
Mr Costello says the agency had a particularly challenging year in 2008, having recruited a senior management team as part of its planned decentralisation to Cork by mid-2009.
However, it had to suspend recruitment in mid-2008 after the Government cut budgets and announced a rationalisation of State agencies.
Mr Costello says the NCA is committed to ensuring that the merger of the agency and the Competition Authority, which was announced in the last Budget, works in the best interests of consumers.
The report shows the agency spent €7.4 million out of a budget of €9.5 million. The underspend is attributed to lower than planned staffing levels, non-spending on decentralisation and reduced spending.
Just six traders were successfully prosecuted last year by the NCA for breaches of consumer law, according to the annual report. Five of these convictions related to pricing offences and the sixth was for selling a “clocked” car.
However, the agency also issued 28 compliance notices ordering a retailer to remedy a breach of consumer law, and it issued fines of €300 each to 35 traders in breach of regulations.
Car dealers, furniture retailers and an internet-based magazine subscription service were among eight traders who gave undertakings that they would comply with consumer laws.
NCA chief executive Ann Fitzgerald says the failure of retailers to pass on the benefits of favourable exchange rates to consumers is hugely disappointing. “Business has been pricing according to what the market in the Republic could bear – however, in current challenging times and with cash-strapped consumers, businesses will have to rethink their pricing strategies and offer Irish consumers a fairer deal,” she said.
Consumers made almost 80,000 calls to the NCA during the year, a 15 per cent increase on 2007. The largest group of queries related to cars, followed by clothing and footwear.
